Day 1

Day 1

Victoria, Mahe Island

The night was pleasant and one could see a million stars in the sky....

We drove through Victoria.

Alan first took us to see the Eden Island which is like the Palm of Dubai. The first formal marina setting on the Seychelles. Ownership confers residency rights too. Ditto Dubai. Place was really charming. We asked about natural calamities. He said they do not have cyclones or hurricanes here, but they did have tidal waves after that big Indonesian tsunami. Several big waves came ashore here, 2-3 meters (6-9 feet) high and flooded some roads as well as heavily damaging some hotels and restaurants on the water.

The Victoria Clock Tower

At one intersection we saw the small version of the Big Ben in London. The Small Ben of Seychelles. It was built in honor of Queen Victoria. The clock was erected in Victoria in 1903 – the same year Seychelles celebrated its new status as a Crown colony in its own right, separate from Mauritius. It was expected to chime then but sadly failed until the mechanism was completely replaced in 1990. Chota Ben is known as Lorloz in Creole.

Liberation Monument

As is the case in most of the crown colonies, the Seychellois people also rose and rebelled against the prevalent colonialist tyranny and injustice. Thie “Zonm Lib” Liberation Monument is a tribute to all those who revolted on 5^th June 1977. This symbol of Liberation has a figure of male slave figure, with both arms with fist clenched raised to the heavens breaking his chains showing the exuberance of Freedom.

Bicentennial Monument

Also known as Twa Zwazo, this is a statue of three birds each symbolic of the three cultures of the Seychelles - Africa, Europe and Asia.

Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar Temple

This is the the first and only Hindu temple in the Seychelles & Lord Ganesha as the presiding deity.. Built in 1992, the temple was named after Lord Vinayagar, the Hindu god of safety and prosperity.

Botanical Gardens, Victoria

Over a century old, the Botanical Garden is a great place to sense the exotic natural history of the islands. Sadly, this place was closed by 1700hrs.

And so was everything else..The names are self explanatory

· the National Archives

· Senpa - Esplanade Craft Kiosks

· Sir Selwyn Clarke Market

· National Museum of History

· The Tea factory

· Le Jardin Du Roi Spice Garden

From this point on we just sat in the car an Alan just pointed out the different sights and sounds of Seychelles as it was already late evening and he wanted to show us as much of Mahe island as possible.

The Bel Air cemetery

The Bel Air cemetery first official burial ground established in Seychelles but now it’s pretty much abandoned. A shame. The most famous personality buried there is Charles Dorothée Savy, a 9 foot giant who was poisoned at the age of 14 by neighbors fearful of his height. His memorial stone is an obelisk of the same height.

Cathedrals

We passed by Victoria's two imposing cathedrals. One is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Immaculate Conception. And the second one is the Anglican cathedral, St Paul's.

Sauzier Waterfalls

We did not get out of the car. We were on the way home and were too tired to concentrate anymore...Besides it was already dark. We just had a glimpse from afar.

Next stop the hotel.

Went down to the reception to check if there is any sign of the tour operator..nope maybe next morning they said.

Went down to have Vegetable biryani from Mahek...the only Indian restaurant in the island. We walked to the restaurant. It was a 15 minute walk. The night was pleasant and one could see a million stars in the sky. The food was okay. It cost 8 Euro for one small plate. Hmm

Back to the room and crashed. Its been a looong day.